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The Tennessee Titans had a pleasant surprise in store for No. 1-overall pick Cam Ward during his introductory news conference Friday.
Houston Oilers legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon arrived as a special guest, not only hugging Ward but giving him his blessing to wear his retired No. 1 jersey as a Titan.
“I wore the No. 1 for a lot of different reasons, and I wore it for a long time starting back in 1976 when I was in college. I think I wore it very honorably for the Houston Oilers organization to the point where I created a Hall of Fame career for myself,” said Moon, who flew in from his home in Houston for the surprise announcement. “Now I’m part of the Tennessee Titans family and my Houston Oiler will probably never be worn again — I hope not, but the Tennessee Titans jersey is going to be worn by Cam. And Cam will be starting a new … freshness in this organization to kind of revitalize it and get it back to where it was a number of years ago when we were one of the more successful organizations in the league. I’m excited to see what he’s going to do with his legacy wearing this number.”
Ward cold-called Moon about a month ago when the Titans were zeroing in on him as the top pick to see if Moon would “unretire” his number for him. The number was retired by the Titans organization in 2006, the year Moon entered the Hall of Fame.
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“I didn’t know this (Moon’s visit) was going on, but I knew this was going to happen, and I’m excited that Mr. Moon is giving me his blessing with this number. But to me, the number would never mean anything. It’s all about the plays you make on the field, so I’m ready for this opportunity with my teammates,” said Ward, who became the top pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
Ward, who was born in 2002, acknowledged he didn’t know about Moon until the draft process began and the possibility of playing for the Titans began to become a possibility. So he watched highlights to familiarize himself with the franchise legend, who stepped away from the game in 2000 at age 44.
“Before I called him I made sure I watched his highlights to make sure he was legit. He was. He was legit. I’m trying to get up to his level one day. It might take me a little time, but I’ll get there eventually. He’s a Hall of Famer and for me to be in that same number that he was in is an honor,” Ward said.
The Titans now put their faith in Ward to become the face of the franchise and elevate a team that has endured three consecutive losing seasons, bottoming out at 3-14 last year.
“We went through the whole process with him, and we came away impressed obviously with the player, but also the person that he is, the leader and the teammate. We didn’t think there was anyone more deserving to represent this franchise than Cam Ward,” general manager Mike Borgonzi said.
Ward, who played at three different schools — Incarnate Word, Washington State and Miami — said being taken first overall by the Titans was the fulfillment of a lifetime dream.
“I’ve been praying for this since I was 6 years old. I’m ready to get to work, ready to be with my teammates and try to win some games in the future,” said Ward, who threw for 4,313 yards with 44 touchdown passes for Miami last season.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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